Photo | Courtesy of Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce
Timothy Murray, president & CEO of Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce
June 16, 2022
Worcester chamber of commerce establishes affiliate in Clinton
Photo | Grant Welker
High Street in Clinton
By Sadie Leite
In the first month since the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce partnered with Discover Clinton to establish the Clinton Area Chamber of Commerce, the new organization has added seven members, with more inquiries.
“About four or five years ago, Discover Clinton, which focused on the redevelopment of High Street and Clinton's downtown and promoting people to come and support businesses there, reached out to [ Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce],” said Timothy Murray, president and CEO of the Worcester chamber.
The two organizations conversed about initiatives to support Clinton businesses. In 2021, Clinton Town Administrator Michael Ward, who was aware of the growing dialogue, suggested Clinton would benefit from an official chamber of commerce.
Ultimately, the Worcester chamber Discover Clinton decided on the opening of the Clinton Area Chamber of Commerce as an affiliate chamber of the Worcester organization.
“Clinton is a community that has a lot of pride. It's got a history of active businesses and individuals,” said Murray.
The Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce now has seven affiliate partner chambers. Before this year, the Auburn, Blackstone Valley, Central Mass South, Wachusett Area, and Webster Dudley Oxford chambers were the affiliates of the Worcester chamber. Each agreement differs with the various affiliates, but the main benefit of the partnerships is members have access to their area’s services and the opportunities provided by the larger Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce.
In April, the Latin American Business Organization became the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce’s sixth affiliate. Clinton is the seventh.
The board of directors of Discover Clinton now runs the Clinton Area Chamber of Commerce. Lauren Crossman-Nanoff, the president of Discover Clinton, is now the president of the chamber.
“We just launched in June, and already we have seven members and a number of inquiries. I think the system has the capacity to have a couple hundred members, at least over time. We're excited,” said Murray. “There's a lot of opportunity in Clinton, and given the beautiful character of the downtown, the history, and its manufacturing legacy, there are opportunities for reuse and redevelopment of properties.”
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